omikuji means A random fortune, often written on a strip of paper or on a stick of bamboo, available at Japanese shrines in exchange for a small offering. It carries an Arena rating of 1417, earned across 38 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, omikuji ranks #338 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #413 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,014 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #2,664 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
Why “omikuji” is a great word
OMIKUJI — [Noun] A random fortune, written on a strip of paper or a bamboo slat, obtained through a ritual draw at a Japanese shrine or temple in exchange for a small offering. From Japanese おみくじ (omikuji), from 御 (o-, honorific prefix) + みくじ (mikuji, "divination, lot"). Unlike an oracle, which implies a direct, cryptic utterance from a deity, or tarot, a structured system of symbolic cards, an omikuji is a standardized script secured by impersonal chance. It is the soft rattle of sticks in a hexagonal wooden cylinder, the precise uncurling of a thin, white paper rectangle, and the act of tying an unlucky fortune to a designated pine branch—a quiet transaction with fate that renders the vast unknown into a tangible slip of predetermined luck to carry or to leave behind.
Etymology
From Japanese おみくじ (omikuji).
noun
- A random fortune, often written on a strip of paper or on a stick of bamboo, available at Japanese shrines in exchange for a small offering.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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